The present invention relates to a process and an apparatus for producing two-colored or multicolored switchboard films, dashboard films or dashboards produced therefrom for motor vehicles. The films have at least one backing film or backing layer, at least one upper film or upper layer which is arranged thereon and contains dyes and/or color pigments, and, if desired, further layers or films. The polymer melts for these films or layers come from two or more extruders, and are supplied first to an adapter or a black box having at least one opening or a gap for the backing film or layer and at least one further opening for the upper film or upper layer.
By means of the present invention it is possible to produce switchboard films, dashboard films or dashboards produced therefrom, comprising at least one backing layer or backing film, at least one upper film or upper layer which is arranged thereon and contains dyes and/or color pigments, and, if desired, further layers or films. The upper film or upper layer comprises at least two differently colored or pigmented zones or sections which extend parallel or approximately parallel and which are rectangular or parallelogrammic in plan view, and the different-colored upper film(s) or upper layer(s) are produced as a composite film together with at least one lower film or lower layer by coextrusion or polyextrusion.
EP-A-0 475 004 discloses a process for producing multicolored slush skins (moldings) with different color regions, especially dashboards for motor vehicles and the like. In this process slush material (powder or paste) is introduced into a mold which determines the shape of the slush skin and can be heated to a molding temperature. The slush material is distributed and deposited on the heated mold surface by rotation of the mold, then is sintered and gelled, and finally the slush skin is removed from the mold after the latter has cooled. Corresponding different slush materials for the respective colors are used for the different color areas of the slush skin. In accordance with this process, in the rotational sintering mold the colored polymer is introduced in specific steps and sections of the rotational mold, it being possible to subdivide these by means of fillets, and then the powder trough or powder mold is rotated. This process is limited to the slush process or powder rotational sintering process and cannot be carried out as an extrusion process. Because of necessary restrictions on the polymers, virtually only PVC can be employed.